Effective Questioning
Definition:
Planning questions to ensure they are aligned to the learning objective(s), involve a purposeful variety
in level of complexity, and feature appropriate levels of support to deepen students’ understanding
Best Practice
- Questions connect purposefully to the learning objective(s) and allow students to engage in critical thinking about the prioritized skills/topics
- Question complexity varies based on stage of the lesson and/or prior experience with the skills/topics
- Wait time is provided and matches the level of complexity
- Scaffolding is used strategically to increase student ownership and independence
Examples:
Using recall questions to quickly check for understanding or have students retrieve key facts. Planning questions that move from recall to requiring examples and evidence then to applications for real-world problems/scenarios.
Practicing wait time routines. Determining how all students will be encouraged to respond (quick votes, structured discourse, writing, pop-up debate, etc). Having students create, improve, and rank their own questions to promote inquiry and ownership. Socratic Seminar. Asking follow-up questions to deepen and extend thinking.